Guardians UK began in 2017 as a grassroots project on a single allotment in Southeast London. Its founder, Dr Nicolas Salazar Sutil, grew native trees there to restore tree population. As interest grew, the project spread. Today, it has three key sites. The first is Grange Lane Tree Rescue Hub a one-acre nursery located in Southwark’s Great North Wood. The second is a four-acre restoration site at Old Beard’s Wood in the South Downs National Park. Finally, a 20-acre woodland and nature recovery site located in Pencoedtop is focused on rainforest restoration in Wales.
Volunteers collect seeds, join training sessions, and take part in outdoor learning. The charity also works on projects with schools, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
Guardians UK also runs projects beyond its three key sites. It has planted a fruit tree orchard with Persian refugees in Croydon, and runs an online course on ancient woodlands. Its river clean-ups in London have collected 1 tonne of plastic, and it is building seed banks to preserve resilient tree genes.
Rainforest Restoration in Wales
At Pencoedtop, the team is replacing a Sitka spruce plantation with native woodland and healthy soils. In time, this should help ancient peatland and rainforest to recover. The Celtic Atlantic Rainforest is among the UK’s most threatened forest habitats, with only 1% of its historic coverage remaining today. For this reason, restoring it needs patience, skill and many helping hands.
Supporting the Autumn 2026 planting
Funds from John Good Group will support the Guardians of the Celtic Rainforest project in Ceredigion. The grant will help pay to move 750 sessile oaks from London to Wales. It will also cover equipment and materials for planting sessions in late October 2026. This autumn’s planting will use up much of the nursery’s stock. Therefore, the grant will also fund seed collection sessions, equipment and new soil for growing trees from seed. In addition, funding will create a compost box and wormeries at Pencoedtop. These will produce humus, a rich soil material that feeds the newly planted trees.
Latest Project Updates
September 2026
Grants for Good Finalist
Guardians UK has become one of the top five finalists in the latest Grants for Good round, funded by the John Good Group, and will receive a grant between £2000 and £5000 after employees at the John Good Group have voted on their favourite causes.